PARIS UNDERGROUND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2233, 2 March 1886, Page 2

PARIS UNDERGROUND.

Tho beautiful city of Pans contains many objects worthy of the. attention of thotravoller; but the immense subterranean cavern over which it is built must alway excite the deepest interest in the broaat of the curious obaorver. Tho important iacfc, thut this fino city actually stands on the brink of a frightful abyss, remained a state Becret till the middle of the last century; even the existence of the caverns, now known by the name of the Quarries, was treated as a fable by foreigners, and doubted by' tho greater part of the Parisians themsolveß, till Mr Thomas White, member of. the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh, ob"" " loayo from tho French w visit them, and published tho following amusing account of his subterranean travels, in the second volume of the Manchester Transactions:—

"At tha entranco by tho Observatoire ,- v Royal, the path is narrow for a consider- jr iiblo way; but aoon we entered largo and ' ~ Rpaeious streets, all marked with names, ' Mine as in the city. Different advertisements and bills were found,' as we proceeded, pasted on the walls, so that It had ovory appearance of a large town, ' swallowed up in earth, The general height of the roof is about nine or ten feet; but, in some parts, not less than thirty or forty. In many places thore is» liquor continually dropping from it, which congeals immediately, and forms • species of transparent stone, but not to fine and cloar as rock-crystal. As we continued our peregrination, wo thought ourselves in no small danger from the ooof, which we found but indifferently propped up, in some places nth wood much decayed. Under tho' houses, and many of tho Btreets, however, it Beemed to be tolerably secured, by immense etones set in mortar; in cither where there are only fields and gasrsns, it was totally unsupported for.a consider, able space, the roof being perfectly level as a plain piece of rock. After traversing about- two miles, wo again descended about twenty steps, and hero found soma ~, workmen in a very cold, damp place, „'J propping up a most dangerous part, ' * which they were fearful would give way every moment. The path here is not more than three feet in width, and the roof so low, that wo were forced to stoop considerably. On walking some little distance further, we .entered into a kind of saloon, cut out of the rock, and said to be exactly under tho Eglise de St. Jaquea. This was illuminated with great taste, occasioned an agreeable surprise, and made us ample amends for the aariger and difficulty we had just before gone through, At one end was a represent*, tion, in miniature, of somo of the prin. cipal forts in the Indies, . with tho forfications, draw-bridges, etc,, and cannons were placed in different parts of the garrison, particularly before the goverr u -'- houso; and a. regiment of armedJ wis drawn up in another place,: *lth '* their general in the front. ' Tho whole was made up of a kind of clay which the place affords, was ingeniously contrived, and tho light that was thrown upon it gave a very pretty effect, On the other side of this hall was a long table, set out - with cold tongues, bread and butter, and soma of the beat Burgundy I drank; Now everything was hilarity and mirth;

Bhort wo ware all in good spirits again and proceeded on our journey about tw piles farthor, when our guides judged i jdptlont for us to ascend, as we wer (Pen got to the stops which leads to th town, Wo he found ourselves safe at th Val do Grace, near to the English Dene ' dictino convent, without the leastacciden having; happened to any ono of the party y 1 - Wo imagined wo had walked about twi ) ' French leagues, and wero absent from tin surface of the earth between four and livi hours. "There woroformerly several opening! Into tho quarries; but the two I havi mentioned—namely, the Observatory am a Val do Grace-are, I beliovo, tho onl] A ones left: una",thuso tho inspectors kep W carefully locked, and raroly open then except to strangers particularly intro duced, and to workmen, who are always • employed in snmo part by tho ki'g. Tin polico thought it a necessary precnntioi: to secure all tho entrances into thif cavern, from its having been formerly Inhabited by a famous band of robbers, who infested tho country for many miles round Paris, As to the origin of thu quarry, I could not, on tlio strictest inquiry, learn anything satisfactory ; and tho only account I know published is the following, contained in the Tablmm <k Paris, nmmlh edition, tome premier, ehapitre sme, pngc 12me.~. ' For tlio first buildintr of Paris, it was necessary to get tho stono in the environs, and the' eonBmption of it was .very considerable. -as Paris was enlarged,', the suburbs ■ wore insensibly built on the ancient quarries, so that all you see without is essentially wanting in the eartli'.for'>;the ■ foundation of the city. lienco proceed, tho /frightful cuvaties which .at; Jk nndcr the houses'' iii ■ several . quarters. f* Thoy stand upon abysses, ; ,It would not require a very violent- shock to throw back tho stones to thd.place from whouco thoy havo been raised will so much diQieulty. Eight men being swallowed up in t gulf ono hundred and,fifty feet, deep, Mid some other accidents,. ■ excibd... ai length the vteilanco. of the police';.and Government; and, in fact, the buildings of several quarters', having been privately propped up, and'by this means, has been given to theso obscure subterraneous places the support which'they, before wanted.' All tho suburb's of St ...James's, Harp-street, and oven tho street" j ; ;.of Tournou, standupoiitliofineientqiurrios. End pillars havo to -Siippoft the weight of the housM.;:Whiit for reflection, in city formed 'and,vßuppoiied: :, absolutely contrary !iTKoseiowers,;?t!iesb •teoples, tho arched ..r.oofs.i.iffliese gjfe so many signs.toftell ,l!io%e..th:it. : wo flsff see in the air.'ia. -vanting : :. under oiir feet.". ' H 0^::;-;.?Vv; v p^ Since' Mr Whito's visit to: tho quarries,: s great alteration lias t;ikeu;;plac6-:in;V;tho Interior of these".cayeriiS'; ;forHho; ; 'coh ; : : tents of all 'havo * boon lodgod tliore v :eyersiiipo:th6;v.iiioinoP & able Revolution 'J; .and tliey now contain' " tho bones of.'-.thre'o beings. . Those lastiromaiiis aro fancifully arraiigcdtoii; tho floors in 'a kind .of >'»■■'.Mosaic pavement, Tlie,flku'ils;'aro heaped in; the form of an iinmonse >.ltiir,''';'at;'the .upper end of tho great 3alrimi'.;."ahd : - thoi.whole has a singularly;.whimsical'appearance;; This is, indeed, a strange.proof : :ofklevity in our Gallic ,- : >oo'm desirous of excluding solemn :'ideas'(froin; Jho mind, even iri : ehambers of death, »ill, nevertheless, feel..;awc(l.as.'lie'.'eiiter'B' the quarries, and conte'mplatesHheJ'Sc.ono/ wound him, striking lesson fin ■theivanity :6fi';humaiv lifo, and the the impression be" ♦Orders that the.slight shock of an earth- : qujge, oreven-the loosoning"'of ; 'a :pr'6p'j; may mingle his bones with those of :the; forgotten niilli()iis.' ; .x:^S'; ; v?:fe'' :^: 'L.S/'s''